Abstract
Objective: To understand software tasks aimed at improving cognitive abilities in school-aged children born pre-term to determine if paediatric clinic advice on manual exercises can be given if the software is inaccessible. Method: Exploration of software tasks and linking these to results of seminal experiments on cognitive ability. Outcome: It may be possible to performing some of these software tasks manually to improve working memory, however some further research on the efficacy of these techniques with school-aged children born pre-term are required.
Highlights
Developmental and learning concerns amongst children born pre-term are common referrals to Australian paediatric out-patient clinics
This paper provides a brief overview on kinds of developmental and cognitive problems faced by pre-term children followed by an examination of the types of available interventions for those who are of school-going age, and the advice that may be offered based on how the interventions relate to existing theories of human cognition
School-aged children born pre-term continue to experience more cognitive executive functioning problems when compared with their full-term peers
Summary
Developmental and learning concerns amongst children born pre-term are common referrals to Australian paediatric out-patient clinics. Interventions that target school-aged pre-term children with cognitive difficulties tend to be computer-based and focus on improving working memory. A literature search which included CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PsycInfo, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences (EbscoHost) and SocIndex identified only two studies that involved cognitive interventions for school-aged children (i.e., 5-15 years) born pre-term, which were the “Memory Strategy Training Group” [33] and “Cogmed RM” [34]. In both studies, participating children were born very preterm (
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